The London Nationals are proud to have a coaching staff that is 100% committed to player development.
With Donny Martin as Head Coach, Terry Walters and Jason Hart as Assistant Coaches, Aidan Hughes as Goaltending Coach, and Brian McAllister as Development Coach, the Nationals have assembled a staff that brings experience from a number of different levels of the game and, most importantly, shares the same commitment to helping our players improve.
Winning matters. Competing every night matters. But developing our players is just as important.
The goal is to make sure every player who comes through the London Nationals program is given the coaching, feedback, support and opportunity they need to become a better hockey player and prepare themselves for whatever comes next.
Donny Martin
Head Coach Donny Martin brings a long hockey background to the Nationals.
A London native, Martin spent part of his junior career with the London Diamonds, the name the Nationals franchise played under at the time, before going on to play with the London Knights.
He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft and went on to play professionally for approximately 14 years.
Martin later moved into coaching and management, including six years as a Head Coach and General Manager in professional hockey. He also won a Central Hockey League championship in 2002.
Having been through junior hockey, the professional game and then coaching and management, Martin knows what is expected of players who want to keep moving forward in the game.
Jason Hart
Assistant Coach Jason Hart has spent much of his coaching career working directly with developing players.
Hart has been involved with programs including the London Knights, Elgin-Middlesex Canucks and Epic Performance Program, working with players at the U16 and U18 levels.
His background has included a strong focus on skill development, hockey sense and helping players understand the smaller details that can make a difference in their game.
Players at the junior level are still learning, adjusting and trying to earn opportunities at higher levels. Hart’s experience working with young players gives the Nationals another coach who understands that development isn’t the same for everyone.
Terry Walters
Assistant Coach Terry Walters brings another perspective to the Nationals bench.
Walters has coached in both the GOHL and PJHL, including time with the Strathroy Rockets, and has worked with athletes in high-performance environments outside of hockey as well.
His experience includes working with U SPORTS and CJFL athletes along with high-performance track and field athletes.
That background brings an emphasis on preparation, accountability and the habits that players need if they want to perform consistently.
Aidan Hughes
The Nationals also have someone dedicated specifically to the development of their goaltenders in Aidan Hughes.
Hughes grew up in London and came through the London Jr. Knights program before being selected by the Sarnia Sting in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 OHL Priority Selection. He went on to play in the OHL with both Sarnia and the Oshawa Generals.
His playing career also included time with the Sarnia Legionnaires and Caledonia Corvairs at the junior level, Brock University in U SPORTS and hockey in Switzerland. During the 2019-20 season with Caledonia, Hughes posted a 1.94 goals-against average and was named the league’s Goaltender of the Year.
For the Nationals’ goaltenders, having a coach who has recently gone through many of the same steps they are working toward is valuable.
Hughes understands the position, the pressure that comes with it and the work required away from game nights. His role gives the Nationals’ goalies someone they can work with directly on their technique, preparation and overall development throughout the season.
Brian McAllister
The addition of Brian McAllister as Development Coach further strengthens the Nationals’ commitment to player development.
McAllister has more than two decades of coaching and player-development experience and is already familiar with the organization, having previously served as Head Coach of the London Nationals.
His background also includes coaching with the London Jr. Knights AAA, Lucan Irish, Komoka Kings and Elgin Middlesex Canucks U16 AAA.
McAllister has worked with players in on-ice development, strength and speed training, mental performance and video analysis.
Having someone in a dedicated development role gives players another resource throughout the season and gives the coaching staff more opportunity to work individually with players on areas of their game that need attention.
100% Committed to Our Players
The message from the London Nationals coaching staff is simple: player development is a priority.
Every coach on this staff is 100% committed to helping our players get better.
Sometimes that means spending extra time on the ice. Sometimes it’s video, a conversation after practice, correcting a bad habit or helping a player understand why something isn’t working.
For a goalie, it could mean breaking down positioning or working through a difficult stretch. For a forward or defenceman, it could be decision-making, puck management, skating or learning how to play a different role.
Every player is different, and every player develops differently.
Our players will be challenged. They will be held accountable. But they will also know that the coaching staff is invested in them and wants to see them succeed.
Whether the next step is the OHL, university or college hockey, another level of junior hockey, professional hockey, or simply becoming a better player during their time in London, the goal is to make sure they are better prepared for that opportunity because they were a London National.
That is the commitment this coaching staff has made to our players.
